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Jason Somerville (born April 15, 1987) is an American professional poker player specializing in Texas Hold'em. He has one World Series of Poker bracelet, as well as fourteen other World Series of Poker in the money finishes with 3 final tables, two World Poker Tour in the money finishes with 1 final table, and two European Poker Tour in the money finishes. He is a contributor to the PokerVT training team as an advanced instructor in poker tournaments and a “Ones to Watch” for the World Poker Tour XI Season. Off of the poker table, Somerville is currently one of few professional athletes and currently the only high stakes male professional poker player to publicly acknowledge his homosexuality.

Career
Somerville discovered poker in 2004 while watching the World Poker Tour with his dad on television. Shortly thereafter, he began researching the game on the internet and playing locally with friends. Graduating from high school that year, a year early, he began playing freeroll tournaments online hoping to emerge into real money poker. In doing so, he turned “free” money into a six-figure bankroll without ever making a single deposit. From the ages of 18-20, Somerville added live tournaments to his online schedule where he was legally able to do so. He has played at the World Series of Poker every year since turning 21, as well as many other tournaments around the world, gaining increasing success and notoriety with each year. In 2008, Somerville joined the PokerVT training team as an instructor in the advanced poker tournament arena. In 2012, the World Poker Tour named him a “Ones to Watch” for their eleventh season (2012-2013).

Online Poker
Somerville has over 250 online tournament in the money finishes, totaling over $2.2 million in online tournament winnings. In 2009, he cashed his first Spring Championship of Online Poker event earning $35,140 for a 20th place finish and cashed in five World Championship of Online Poker events, including one final table, for a combined $21,760. In 2010, he won his first SCOOP event and cashed in five others, including another final table finish, for $448,421 and three WCOOP events for $19,100.

In April of 2011, online poker was shut down in the USA. Choosing not to relocate out of the country, Somerville has been mostly absent from online tournament poker since.

WSOP
In 2008, Somerville played his first World Series of Poker schedule, cashing in three events for $16,027. In 2009, he cashed in 3 events for $311,786 with 2 final table finishes. In 2010, he cashed in four events for $640,904 with 2 final table finishes and his first WSOP Main Event. In 2011, Jason won his first bracelet in a $1,000 Texas No Limit Hold’em event, defeating a field of 3,175 players, and cashed in one other event that year for $525,274. In 2012, he cashed in 3 events for $124,683, including his deepest yet run in the WSOP Main Event placing 69th of 6,598 players. That same summer he also placed 3rd in a No Limit Hold’em satellite tournament to the Big One for One Drop $1,000,000 buy-in tournament for $400,000.

Other Notable Events
In April of 2009, Somerville placed 19th in the €10,000 European Poker Tour No Limit Hold’em Grand Final in Monte Carlo for $68,372. In October later that year, he placed 73rd in the European Poker Tour €5,000 No Limit Hold’em Main event in London for $14,646. In January of 2010, he placed 4th in the Poker Caribbean Adventures $5,000 No Limit Hold’em tournament for $81,480. In February of 2012, he made the final table, placing 6th, of the World Poker Tour Los Angeles Poker Classic $5,000 No Limit Hold’em tournament for $202,910. In June later that year,

Personal Life
Somerville was born and raised on Long Island, New York.

On Valentine’s Day of 2012, Somerville posted a blog post announcing that he is gay. He is the first, and currently the only, high stakes male player to publicly acknowledge his homosexuality],] as well as one of few professional athletes to do so. He has found great support both from within the [[poker community and from media outlets outside of the world of poker, including Perez Hilton and The Advocate.